Flying machine



Nov. l2, 1929. G. D, HIGGlNs 1,735,115

FLYING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l G. D. HIGGINS FLYING MACHINE Nov. 12, 1929.

Filed Aug. 22, 1927 2 SheeLS-Sheb f ,22 Y Y i N il?. 2/ i? lx/ENTOR.

Patented Nov. 12, 1929 GEORGE D. HIGGINS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FLYING MACHINE Application led August 22, 1927. Serial No. 214,587.

My invention relates to heavier-than-air ying machines and more particularly to a type of air plane having the supporting planes, but instead of having the usual propeller, operating in the manner now common lin planes, I have provided a flying machine with the fuselage or body open in front, with fans or blowers mounted at the opposite sides and connected to draw air in through the front of the fuselage and discharge itv downwardly, or rearwardly, or forwardly, as may be desired, for the purpose of propelling said fiying machine forwardly and also for the purpose of lifting said flying machine during its forward movement, the discharge of said air downwardly under the force of said fans or blowers creating an upward movement of the body of said flying machine.

So far as I am aware, I am the first to provide a fuselage with fans or blowers on its opposite sides, with air conduits therefrom leading out through the front of said fuselage and with control mechanism around said fans or blowers adapted to be manipulated to determine the discharge of the air from the fan or blower, that is, whether its discharge will be, downwardly, rearwardly or forwardly. c In the drawings accompanying this appllcation and in which I illustrate one embodiment of my invention, I have shown these side fans or blowers set at slight angles relative to the Vertical, whereby their planes if extended downwardly would converge, and whereby the air currents discharged downwardly from the opposed fans converge, with a ten-I dency to maintain the equilibrium of the plane during flight.

Y Another departure from the usual construction used in flying machines, my motor is set back in the fuselage and the driving shaft is transverse of the fuselage, the propelling fans or blowers being mounted on the opposite ends of said power shaft. y

In order to more fully explain my inven tion, I will now describe the same as illustrated on the accompanying two sheets of drawings and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flying machine embodying my invention, with the front part thereof in section, longitudinally thereof; i

Figure 2 is a top plan view of said flying machine;

Figure 3 is a front view with the right hand 5B portion shown in section;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a complete flying machine embodying my invention;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view, partly in section, showing one of the fans or blowers, with the controlling mechanism for the direction of discharge of the air therefrom and with the mechanism for manipulating the same.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 55 I will describe the particular embodiment of my invention here shown. The fuselage or body is designated 6, the planes are designated 7 and 8, the running gear is designated 9, and the control rudders are designated generally 10. The fuselage is open at its forward end as shown and said open end is covered with a screen 11. Mounted in the body or fuselage andy in substantial axial alinement under the planes 7 and 8, is the 75 motor,designated as a whole 12, with the driving shaft 13, extending from the opposite ends thereof, and provided at itsopposite ends and at the opopsite sides of said body or fuselage with two fans, or blowers, 14 and 15. 80 Mounted on'the sides of the body are two arms or brackets, 16, 16, shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, attached at their upper ends to the body 6, and at their lower ends joined in a supporting bearing for the propeller or power shaft 13.

The inside of said fuselage, forwardly of the motor, is provided with partition members, 17, 17, converging at their forward ends and diverging atY their rearward ends and forming air conduits from the main open end or inlet of the fuselage to the opposite sides of the fuselage and to the central portions of the fans or propellers, as will be understood from Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As the air is drawn into 95 the forward open end of the fuselage it is deflected to the opposite fans and discharged therefrom in a manner now to be described.

Revolubly mounted in the open sides of the fuselage, around said fans or blowers, are

` operation.

two shields or guards, or deectors, 18, 18, one on each side and similar in construction and rThese air deectors 18, each comprise an annular housing of S-form in cross section, one side of which overlie the ends of said fan or blower, as at 18', Fig. 5, while the other, or reverse portion of which receives the edge of the side of the fuselage, as at 6.', with rollers bearing on the opposite sides thereof, designated 19, 19, and with an edge roller 20, running around the inner edge of said body member 6', whereby said shield or annular deflector can be revolved about the axis of said power shaft 13, by means of mechanism to be described. rlhe inner side of said annular deiiector or shield 18, is provided with an internal gear or rack 21, with which meshes a gear 22, on a shaft 23, having intermediate its ends a worm gear 24, in mesh with a worm 25, on a shaft 26, provided with a sprocket wheel 2(, to which runs a sprocket chain 28, from anl operating sprocket wheel 29, on a short shaft 30, supported in suitable bearings 31, in the pilots quarters, with an operating hand wheel 32, for operating said shaft, and through said sprocket chain, said annular deectors or shields. The same connections run to both of said detlectors or shields, 18, 18, as will be understood from Fig. 5, only one conneetion, however, being fully shown.

Mounted on the short shaftBO, near the hand wheel 32, is a beveled gear 33, with which meshes another beveled gear 34, connected with a flexible shaft 35, the other end of whichis connected with an indicator 36, in front of the pilot, for indicating the position of the dellectors or shields and the direction of the discharge therefrom.

Said deflectors or shields, itwill be seen, are open at one segment, as at 18a, and this opening can be turned to differentpositions for the discharge. When it is turned downwardly in its lowermost position, the air from the fans is discharged downwardly, and as said fans are slightly on an angle, the discharge is slightly inwardly under the fuselage, as may be understood from Fig. 3. When said shields or deectors are turned to position the open segment rearwardly, then the discharge is rearwardly and the reaction or'thrust is for- Y wardly, supplementing the pull forwardly caused by the suction being applied through the open front end of said fuselage. lf said shields or deflectors are turned to put the discharge opening in front, then the discharge of the air is forwardly andthe tendency is to slow downthe forward movement of the machine. /These shields or deiectors can be turned to the desired positions by the simple manipulation of the control wheel 32, and its connections, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

, The pilots quarters are preferably covered with glass windows 37, around the sides and above the fuselage and wings, as indicated in Fig. 1.

lt will be understood, of course, that approved materials and methods of building the fuselage, the wings, the bracing and other common parts will be followed, and that my invention is more particularly represented by the general construction and arrangement which provides an open ended fuselage for the sucking in of air from the front of the machine to give propulsion, to the fans or blowers, or propellers at the opposite sides to cause said suction, and the discharge of the air in different directions, under control` for the reaction on the machine, as before re ferred to, and while l have shown but one embodimentof my invention. I am aware that many changes in the details of construction and arrangement can be made therein, and I do not, therefore, limit my invention to the showing made for descriptive purposes, eX- cept as l may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

l claim:

1. A flying machine including in combination, a fuselage, carrying wings, steering means, the fuselage being open at its forward end and covered with a screen, propeller fans mounted on. the opposite sides of said fuselage, under said wings, means providing air conduits from the front of said fuselage to said propeller fans, power mechanism connected to drive said fans, movable shields about said fans for controlling and directing the discharge of air from said fans. and means for moving the same.

2. A flying machine including in combination, a fuselage, carrying wings, steering membersat the rear of said fuselage, said fuselage being open at its forward end, a screen over said open end, means forming air conduits through said fuselage. propeller fans intermediate the ends of said fuselage and housed to suck in air through said open front end of said fuselage and said air conduits, adjustable means around said propeller fans for controlling the direction of the discharge therefrom, means for manually adjusting said controlling means, power furnishing mechanism in said fuselage, and driving connections to said propeller fans.

3. A flying machine including in combination, a fuselage, carrying wings. steering members at the rear of said fuselage. 'said fuselage being open at its forward end. a screen covering said open end, means forming air conduits through said fuselage, propeller fans mounted on the opposite sides of said fuselage under said wings, said fans being set at angles from the vertical with their lower sides converging, revoluble housings about said propeller fans on the sides of said fuselage, said housings having openings therein, and adapted to be revolved to different positions to position the discharge openings therein downwardly, rearwardly or forwardly, means for moving the same manually,

l power furnishing means and driving connecthereof, propeller fans connected with said air conduits for sucking air rearwardly through said conduits, controlling means for regulating the direction of the discharge of said air from s aid propelled fans, power mechanism connected for driving said propeller fans, and indictating means for indicating the direction of discharge of said air from said propeller fans.

5. In a flying machine having a fuselage, carrying wings and steering means at the rear end of said fuselage, means for propelling said flying machine including means forming air conduits from the front end of said fuselage rearwardly, two propeller fans mounted on the opposite sides of said fuselage under said wings and connected to draw air through said air conduits rearwardly, means surrounding said fans for regulating the direction of discharge of said air from said fans, means for manually adjusting said surrounding means simultaneously, power furnishing means, and driving connections therefrom to said propeller fans, substantially as described.

6. In a flying machine, a fuselage having its front end open to form an air conduit rearwardly to a location intermediate the ends `of said fuselage and turned outwardly in two branches opening through the opposite sides of said fuselage, carrying wings across said fuselage over said side outlets of said air conduit, side propellers mounted one at each side of said fuselage opposite said air conduit outletsya motor for driving said propellers, an annular shield around each propeller and shiftable circumferentially, said shield being open in one segment to form a radial discharge of air from said conduit, whereby said discharge can be directed in different directions, as desired, and means for turning said shields.

7. In a flying machine, a fuselage having an air conduit from its front end to a position under its wings and divided into ybranches directed out through the opposite sides of said fuselage, carrying wings across said fuselage above said side outlets, a side propeller in each side, opposite said outlets for drawing air through said conduit and discharging it 'at the side of said fuselage, an annular shield around each propeller, U-shape in cross Section and open in one segment,'and means for turning said shield circumferentially to position said segmental opening in different positions, substantially as described.

8. In a flying machine, in combination with a fuselage having an air conduit therethrough, of propeller means comprising a prope ler wheel at each side of said fuselage, a motor for driving said propeller wheels, an annular shield of U-sha e 1n cross section around'each propeller wlI-leel, with a section of said shield cut out to form a dischar e opening in direct radial alinement from said wheel, and means for shifting said shields circumferentially to differently position said discharge openings. l Y

Signed at Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, this 17th day of August,

- GEORGE D. HIGGINS. 

